Read: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 15:8-10
When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt they came to Rephadim and there was no water. They cried out to the Lord and he gave them water from the rock that Moses was commanded to strike. The Amalekites came out to fight them…probably for their water. Israel fought all day and Moses had to have Aaron and Hur hold his hands up in order to win (Exodus 17). God had said that he would one day destroy the Amalekites from off the face of the earth and now he was asking Saul to do just that. He was to kill all their people and all their animals.
Instead, Saul killed all the people but took their king, Agag, as a prisoner and allowed his men to keep any of the animals and spoils they wanted. Samuel was not happy and neither was God. Saul, defensively said they kept the animals to sacrifice them. Samuel cut Agag to pieces himself. This cost Saul his kingdom which Saul was more interested in how he looked before his men than the fact that he had displeased God.
Samuel mourned Saul’s rebellion like a father would mourn over his own son, but God told him it was time to stop mourning Saul, and go and anoint his successor. David was chosen who was the least in his family. When Samuel anointed him, God’s spirit left Saul and a spirit from Satan came to torment him. Ironically, David was sent to ease his suffering with worship and music. David gained authority in the spiritual realm before he could rule in the natural.
In John, it was the day after the Feast of Tabernacle which is known as Simbat Torah, the celebrating of the ending of reading the law for the year and the first day of beginning to read it again. Jesus was bringing a new law and it was time to see the law with spiritual eyes. Yes, the law said to stone the woman caught in adultery, but it also said to stone the man also (Leviticus 20:10). Jesus was bringing in the law of grace and forgiveness. Adultery was still a sin, but God was to be the punisher.
Jesus wrote in the dust until all the people had left. The day before, they had rejected Jesus, the fountain of living waters. In Jeremiah 17:13 it says, “ O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.” Now we know what Jesus wrote in the dust!
Jesus said he was also the light of the world which was the term used for Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. They had these huge lights that lit up the whole city at night and everyone referred to Jerusalem as being the light of the world because everyone for miles around could see the light.
Jesus gave us his light so now we are his light in the world.
Lord, may our light shine so brightly that others may see it and come to you.
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